Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot
by Patricia C. Wrede
from Magic Carpet Books
For starters, there's the witch who tried to poison Kate at the Royal College of Wizards. There's also the man who seems to be spying on Cecelia. (Though he's not doing a very good job of it--so just what are his intentions?) And then there's Oliver. Ever since he was turned into a tree, he hasn't bothered to tell anyone where he is.
Clearly, magic is a deadly and dangerous business. And the girls might be in fear for their lives . . . if only they weren't having so much fun!
The Grand Tour
by Patricia C. Wrede
from Magic Carpet Books
In this elegant, old-fashioned rambler, a sequel to the historical fantasy Sorcery and Cecilia, a party of five Brits (three of them are wizards)--Kate and Thomas Schofield, Cecy and James Tarleton, and Lady Sylvia--takes a "grand tour" of 19th-century Europe. What promises to be a pleasant exploration of old world antiquities and fancy shops turns out to be an adventure of a lifetime when Cecy receives a mysterious alabaster flask (a coronation treasure) from an agitated Lady in Blue. Before they know it, they are wrapped up in a magical conspiracy to take over Europe.
Written in two voices by two different authors, the novel alternates between Cecy's deposition and excerpts from her dear friend and cousin Kate's diary. Despite the crisp, clever dialogue and wonderful character subtleties in this Jane Austen-style comedy of manners, readers may be confused by the episodic nature of the novel whose mysteries take their sweet time in unfolding. Teens with the patience to savor this slow-as-molasses grand tour, however, will be amply rewarded by the novel's myriad delights. (Ages 14 and older) --Karin Snelson
The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After
by Patricia C. Wrede
from Harcourt Children's Books
A Scholar of Magics (A College of Magics)
by Caroline Stevermer
from Starscape
This sparkling sequel to A College of Magics is a whirlwind of secret weapons, motor cars, mysterious assaults and abductions, thugs in bowler hats, and a mild-mannered don who is heir to a magical power greater than all of Glasscastle’s.
A College of Magics
by Caroline Stevermer
from Starscape
But Greenlaw is not just any school-as Faris and her new best friend Jane discover. At Greenlaw students major in . . . magic.
But it's not all fun and games. When Faris makes an enemy of classmate Menary of Aravill, life could get downright . . . deadly.
When The King Comes Home (A College of Magics)
by Caroline Stevermer
from Tor Fantasy
When the King comes home... miracles will occur, the rivers will run with wine, all wishes will be granted. The kingdom of Aravis believes its beloved King Julian, dead 200 years, will return in the hour of its greatest need--and surely that hour is now. The current king is ancient, witless, and dying without an heir, the sinister Prince Bishop controls both church and state, and rebellion is brewing in the provinces.
Hail Rosmer has no interest in politics or legends. The daughter of a rural wool merchant, Hail wishes only to be a great artist. And her wish is granted, it seems, when she is sent to the city of Aravis to apprentice with Madame Carriera and study the works of King Julian's artist, the infamous Maspero. But Hail's fate is forever changed--as changed as the fate of Aravis itself--when she sees a man who looks exactly like King Julian. Marvels and wonders there will be--and events far darker and more dangerous than were ever imagined in legend.
When the King Comes Home is a smart, sly, unpredictable, and fascinating fantasy that lives up to the high standards of Caroline Stevermer's critically acclaimed previous novels, A College of Magics and River Rats. --Cynthia Ward
Good King Julian of Aravis has been dead for two hundred years, but his kingdom still misses him. The current occupant of the throne is old and witless and has no heir. The true ruler of Aravis is the powerful Prince Bishop, who controls both church and state.
When the King comes home, all wishes will be granted.
Hail Rosmer wants to be an artist-not an ordinary artist, but a great artist, as great as the fabled Maspero, who painted the famous Archangel altarpiece in the Palace of Aravis and made Good King Julian's crown.
When the King comes home, all dreams will be made real.
One day, Hail sees a man catching fish from the river and eating it raw. The man's clothes are antique in fashion. He looks exactly like King Julian of Aravis. And there begins an adventure that takes Hail and her enigmatic companion from palace to wilderness to battlefield and teaches her, and the rest of Aravis, what happens when the King comes home in sober reality.
River Rats
by Caroline Stevermer
from Magic Carpet Books
When the Rats rescue a stranger from the river, all the troubles of the old world suddenly threaten to end their travels forever.
Magicians of Quality
For country-bred cousins Cecelia Rushton and Katherine Talgarth, something extraordinary is afoot besides the constant whirl of Regency balls - something Young Ladies of Quality rarely come in contact with: magic. Oh, not the mere love spells used by country folk, but real sorcery capable of thwarting ambitions and destroying life. In Sorcery of Cecili,Kate begins to suspect this is so while enjoying her first Season in Loindon, where a beautiful socialite in an outdated powdered wig tries to lure her into having poisoned hot chocolate from an enchanted chocolate pot - while continually addressing her as Thomas! It's all very puzzling,especially when Thomas turns out to be the Mysterious Marquis who owns an estate near Rushton Manor.And equally strange things are happeningat Rushton. The lovely Dorothea arrives quite suddenly and instantly captures the heart of every man in the neighborhood - which may not be unrelated to the charm-bag gound under Cecy's brother's bed. To make matters worsr, Dorthea's cousin James keeps lurking in the shadows, watching every move Cecy makes. Cecy and Kate are determined to discover who the stranger with the lethal chocolate the matter is with Dorothea...and how to put a top to the malevolent flow of sorcery before anyone else can be harmed. But there are forces at work that are equally determined to put a stop them...Excellent Read...
The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After: Being the Private Correspondence Between Two Prominent Families Regarding a Scandal Touching the Highest Levels of Government and the Security of the Realm
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